The company doesn’t dumb down Shakespeare in an attempt to make it popular or trivial, rather it reworks his canny psychological takes on human behaviour and intense storylines into a relevant and contemporary context. To add further appeal, the company also chooses to perform in non-conventional spaces.
Since 1996, Creation has performed its summer season in the grounds of Magdalen College School, Oxford. The stage area backs onto the natural fork between two arteries of the River Cherwell, and this constantly in-motion backdrop can include anything from screeching wildfowl to walkers, cyclists and inebriated students on evening punting trips! Creation’s first summer season, in 1996 attracted 3,400; their recent summer season, which featured Romeo & Juliet and As You Like It, has taken that figure nearer 20,000.
Obviously the challenge of site-specific work has its own production consequences. Production manager/LD Paul Batten and assistant production manager and technical stage manger Mike Borgia, are both experts in the genre. The production schedule is hectic - with an entire theatre to construct from scratch, two shows to go up in close proximity, two casts to rehearse, etc. The most difficult aspect of the Magdalen College School site is access - which involves traversing two narrow bridges and a good half mile run past the cricket pitches and sports fields to the riverside. The whole infrastructure has to be imported onto site - from the seating to the portaloos to the equipment, set and everything in between.
The weather is another major factor. This year, the season started with two weeks of scorching sunshine, followed by an unpredictable week with frequent downpours, although this can sometimes provide a dramatic advantage: the night I saw Romeo & Juliet, for example, the skies opened for a sustained and very loud torrent just as Romeo had swallowed the deadly vial of poison and slumped over Juliet’s sleeping body!
Lighting was simple, although this year Creation upgraded its system to include some robust Thomas Par 64 outdoor lanterns. These were strewn around the space - chained to the trees for security - and used for general wash coverage according to the overall lighting conditions at the time. Upstage, small ‘Sun’ floods were utilized for up-lighting the set jetties that are built backing on to the water, and to light the large wooden crucifix. Lighting was operated from the DSM’s shed secreted behind a large tree trunk stage left. It was a simple two-preset manual board - totally appropriate to the show. At the end of Romeo & Juliet, the incandescence of the Pars was replaced by the fluctuating lightsource of flaming torches. As You Like It was more extreme, featuring Bengal Strobing Flare pyros that looked stunning and created layers of smoke on the river.
Shows on the site are usually performed without reinforced sound. The natural acoustic of the space is incredibly clear and lively, and the roof of leaves and branches proves a great baffle for containing sound within the performance area. However, in strong wind or rain, the actors have to battle to project.
For As You Like It, director Charlotte Conquest commissioned composer Pete King to produce three songs for the show, so sound production was required for playback. The 1kW PA system consisted of RCF speakers, Crest amps and a Sony 350 mini disc supplied by Stage Electrics. The speakers, like the Par cans, were also rigged in the trees, custom weatherised with stylish black bin-liners! Mike Borgia devised baffles for the front of these - bass reflex speakers - to prevent the bin-liners being vibrated - drum skin style - by the low frequencies.
Set and costumes for both shows were designed by Soutra Gilmour. As the
